


The Second Coming

by Kantayra of Yore (Kantayra)



Series: The Crimson Codex [5]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2004-09-01
Updated: 2004-09-07
Packaged: 2017-10-19 04:00:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/196635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kantayra/pseuds/Kantayra%20of%20Yore
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Book Four of 'The Crimson Codex'. 2187. <i>Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; / Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, / The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere / The ceremony of innocence is drowned.</i> Abandoned WIP.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_2187…_

 _She raced around the corner and skidded to a halt in the alley. And, somewhere deep in the back of her mind, she sensed that she’d done this all hundreds of times before. But the thought was elusive, and she was back in that dark alley, and Thanos raised the stake high and…_

 _“No!”_

 _It was Spike this time. Unquestionably Spike and only Spike._

 _She ran for him, already knowing that she was too late to prevent his fate. Wide blue eyes looked up at her for one last moment before her love collapsed into a shower of dust._

 _A shriek of despair rose from her throat, and she tackled his murderer, fists and fangs flying wildly as she beat him into the ground. “No, no, no, no, no, no…” She sobbed out her mantra over and over again, as if that would make Spike’s final death any less real._

 _And, as she beat upon his attacker, she realized that it wasn’t Thanos, after all. No, it was that demon hunter from so long ago…Wood? That had been his name. But, no, it was that slayer she’d killed – Kennedy. And then it was last night’s dinner. Giles. Willow, in her human form. And then, last but not least, Buffy’s own human face looked back up at her…_

 _“We are billions,” human-Buffy taunted her. “Sooner or later, even immortals are drowned within our deluge…”_

 _“No!” vampire-Buffy screamed out one last time as she slit the throat of her doppelganger…_  
   
 

…And awoke with a gasp.

For a minute, Buffy lay there with the horrifying certainty that Spike was dust, and her world had ended. But, slowly, the cracks began to appear in that theory. For one, she wasn’t in that alley – hadn’t been for over fifty years, in fact – as the walls of the cabin around her testified. Second, if she listened to her demon closely enough, she could hear the siren song that was his presence. Still far off, but not so far as it had been only yesterday. He beckoned to her, summoned her…

With a deep sigh, she realized that it was just that damn dream again. She’d been having it off and on ever since she’d lost her childe. The only subconscious fears a vampire of her power had anymore – the loss of those she loved… This was the first time Parker hadn’t won himself a role as another of Thanos/Death/Choose Your Own Enemy’s victims. Just Spike this time, killed by a slew of humans. Including…

She couldn’t help but smile wryly to herself at the last face Death had taken before she’d strangled it to death. _Guess the old adage holds true: You always wake up right before you die…_

With that lighter thought, the moment of panic passed, and Buffy realized much to her relief that it was nighttime once more. The final leg of her journey about to begin.

She rose from bed, untangling the sheets from her nude limbs, and dressed slowly and methodically. She could still feel the waves rocking beneath her, which meant that they were still out to sea yet. But it couldn’t be much longer. And, indeed, as she walked out onto the deck, she could see several small lights on the horizon. Shore wasn’t far now…

She leaned against the railing and allowed herself to concentrate on the voices calling to her demon. She and Spike and Drusilla had become something like a three-part organism, she’d decided one day when she’d been in the mood for particularly unflattering similes. The three of them could travel apart, move in completely opposite directions, but some engrained thread of life always drew them back together. They could stretch the bonds between them, but always they snapped back. To each other. To home.

She’d seen them both often enough since she first left them to start her own little empire. One or the other of them would pass through Auckland at erratic intervals. They’d make love and hunt and even squabble before they’d satisfied themselves with each other’s company once more and drifted off on their own again. Living separate lives, but always a part of each other…

The three of them hadn’t come together all at once since she’d left Lagos, however. It had been more chance than intention, really, but thoughts of a complete family reunion had been stirring in the back of Buffy’s mind long before now. Long before she got the call.

At one point – right after she’d left them and taken up her own mantle of power for the first time – she would’ve refused. She’d led a rather joyful existence these past eighty years, ruling her kingdom. She’d left on occasion just to spice things up, of course. For a whole decade, she’d run after Spike to Singapore, rediscovered the delights of a nomad’s life, as well as the pleasure of laying in his arms every night. But then she’d returned, found chaos, and discovered equal joy in destroying all opposition once more, reclaiming her power bit by bit. Constant challenge and struggle. The marks of a successful and happy immortality…

But her attention had been straying as of late, growing tired of a place she’d stayed in for too long. And, while she’d always remain fond of her time spent there, it was time for something else. So she’d welcomed Drusilla’s call when it came.

Now, Buffy had sensed many things through the connection between the three of them over the years. She imagined Dru and Spike sensed even more from each other, mated as they were. But even she would get glimpses of their lives, strong bursts of emotion, occasional thoughts sent her way. This latest call was more potent than anything she’d felt before, however. A message sent to her intentionally in a way she hadn’t even realized they could communicate with each other before.

 _Come._

The message wasn’t urgent or demanding. It was simply a request. A longing – much like the one she felt – for the three of them to be together once more. The excitement had built within her on the trip over the ocean, as each night she heard Dru’s voice a little louder in her mind. On the fourth day, Spike had joined in the call, and she knew that her two sires had already reunited…

The shore was close now. Buffy could make out a lighthouse and a few lights from ships around the port. But, for the most part, the land was black as pitch.

It was a strange thought. She hadn’t visited her homeland in well over a century. Environmental, political, and social upheaval had long since torn apart the country of her birth. It was a poor land now, vast tracts of the continent uninhabitable desert or seas, only scattered, disorganized communities living on the fringes of the North American continent. 

Once – in her mortal lifetime – the coast before them would’ve been alight with millions of watts of electricity. Now the semi-arid region could no longer afford such extravagant wastes. Nature balanced out all else in the end.

The ship docked and, almost instantly, Buffy was over the side and onto the dock, her travelling bag hoisted over one shoulder. She traveled light – only a few changes of clothes and several trinkets. Anything else she could acquire after a few well-placed kills.

The night was warm, and the air stunk of the faint smell of phosphorous. A worse smog cloud than they’d ever imagined back in LA when she was a kid. But the entire area – with the exception of a few cities – had been reduced to the industrial age once more, and they all paid the consequences with foul air. Thankfully, as a vampire, she could just not breathe.

She dashed through the night, out of the small coastal settlement and down the coast. Instinctively, she’d known where she’d find Spike and Dru, but the force of the Hellmouth still washed over her like a thick, oily wave as she drew closer. Not even that dark presence could sour her mood, however, nor could being back in Sunnydale once more after all these years. Although it appeared the town by the Hellmouth was now called San Marcia. Same difference.

Everything was different, of course. Just a decade shy of two centuries now, and the world she’d grown up had completely vanished. No more landmarks she recognized, no buildings, no people…

Except, of course, for those who had summoned her in the first place.

She sensed the presence of others of her kind without effort. She could feel them like a tingle along her spine now, much like she had when she was a slayer. In fact, it was downright strange how much being a powerful demon was like being a slayer. Not for the first time, she wondered really how much of a difference there was. Except, of course, that she didn’t have to die this way…

She almost laughed when she found the place. And, oh, it was _definitely_ the place. The old warehouse had gone over the years, but this old mansion looked as though it could’ve come from her old days in Sunnydale, although she doubted it was quite _that_ old. But apparently it had at least been around at the same time as her hometown because an old worn sign proclaiming the building the ‘Sunnydale Historical Society’ hung out front. Apparently, geeky!Willow had survived in some form after all…

The fledglings at the door were weak and actually had some common sense. They didn’t even try to stop her as she passed through. It made sense that Willow’s descendants would’ve been chosen to be smarter than the average bear. The sense of familiarity hung about everything she saw, yet Buffy hadn’t fully absorbed it until she saw Willow in the flesh.

A slow smile curved across the redheaded vampiress’ face, and she rose from her little makeshift throne. “We were taking bets on when you’d finally get here,” she said lightly by way of greeting.

Buffy managed to smile back and accepted the hug she was offered. “It’s been a century.”

“Longer,” Willow corrected. She nuzzled Buffy’s hair affectionately before brushing a soft kiss across her lips. “You taste… _powerful_ ,” she whispered, green eyes sparkling.

“So do you,” Buffy agreed, pulling back.

“That was a nice way of saying ‘old’,” Willow teased.

“Same here,” Buffy shot back.

The other vampiress let out a laugh and caught Buffy’s hand in hers. “Oh, what a fool I was to think that I could ever tame you,” she decided. “You are every bit as wild as your Sire.”

“And that’s probably the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.” Buffy felt her cheeks flush slightly.

“But you’ve just missed him.” Willow shook her head in disappointment. “He went out into the west to hunt.”

“Rotten timing.”

“Mother’s still here, of course…”

Buffy found herself being led up an old spiral staircase and down a lengthy hall toward a row of doors. Bedrooms, no doubt. “How is this place still standing?” she wondered in disbelief. It really was like walking into the past. The old California elegance that had been the style among the most affluent during her lifetime.

“Would you believe it’s the old Chase Mansion?” Willow commented over her shoulder, her voice _almost_ devoid of pain.

“Oh…” Buffy’s voice turned subdued.

“They were going to tear it down quite some time back. Some trivial human problem with the power grid. But our kind doesn’t need such luxuries. And I felt the need to preserve _something_ …” Willow trailed off.

Buffy couldn’t blame her. Even if it _hadn’t_ once been Cordy’s home, it had to have been unnerving to see everything you knew wither away with time. The need to preserve some memories from a bygone era must have been insurmountable. It made her all the more glad that she’d been halfway across the world as Sunnydale was replaced brick by brick.

“Things have changed,” Buffy commented non-committally as they stopped outside one of the bedroom doors.

Willow froze in place for a moment, her body tensed with some emotion Buffy couldn’t identify. “That’s what time does,” she finally stated flatly. “Most of the humans are gone now, you know. Not enough food and water to keep so many alive.”

“The Hellmouth’s doing?” Buffy guessed.

Willow shrugged. “Or nature. Hard to tell the difference sometimes.” She put a finger up to her lips. “Still sleeping,” she whispered before opening the door.

Buffy entered behind her and caught her breath at the sight on the bed. Drusilla lay there, completely nude amidst the crimson sheets. Her body was as pale and perfect as Buffy had remembered – no, more so, for that cloud of innocence that seemed to hang about her in moments of repose. Of course, the scents in the room were anything but innocent. Buffy’s own passions flared to life at the scent of Spike’s sex. He’d pleasured Dru quite thoroughly the previous night, undoubtedly. In fact, she realized belatedly that Willow held his scent about her as well.

“Having orgies without me?” she teased.

“You were taking your sweet time getting here,” Willow shrugged, crawling back into the bed. Her little black skirt rode up high on her thighs as she settled back in beside Dru. “You must be tired from your trip.” She gestured for Buffy to join them.

With a sigh, Buffy dropped her bag and slipped off her blouse and pants. Sleeping with clothes on was just so inefficient. A purr rumbling through her chest, she lay beside Dru, her nostrils flaring against the elder vampiress’ hair, savoring their closeness once more.

“Knew my golden girl would come…”

Buffy grinned. She’d long gotten used to Dru’s habit of awaking rather abruptly, and it never startled her anymore. “Literally golden again.” She tossed her once-again-blonde hair over one shoulder.

“Back to the beginning in so many ways…” Dru sighed. Her fingers tangled in Buffy’s shoulder-length golden locks, and she pulled her childe down to her for a slow, smoldering kiss.

Buffy moaned against her sire, her tongue tangling with the other vampiress’ languidly, exploring familiar tastes and sensations. With a little gasp, she found herself suddenly flipped over on her back, Drusilla’s slim body coming to rest atop hers.

“Mommy missed you.” Dru looked up at her from under dark eyelashes, her lips mere millimeters from Buffy’s breast. “Does my girl still taste of rosebuds in the spring?”

“Missed you, too…” Buffy managed to murmur dazedly before Dru’s mouth descended upon her breast, and the world turned bright white with pleasure.

Willow purred as she watched the two women join, fingers sliding into slick, naughty places. Lazily, she lay back against the headboard, enjoying spying upon this tender reunion.

“Lovely sight to come home to…”

Willow looked in surprise to the door. It wasn’t often she was caught off-guard like that.

Drusilla started to say something, but then Buffy’s thumb found her clit, and the blonde bit hard into her shoulder with blunt teeth, and with a scream, Dru came.

Buffy grinned in satisfaction, catching her sire in her arms. “Told you I missed you,” she whispered against long locks of raven-black hair. It was only then when she realized the newcomer had arrived.

“Miss me, too, luv?” Spike smirked.

And Buffy felt her throat go dry. His skin was as pale and perfect as she’d remembered, and it contrasted sharply with the short, black leather vest he wore. It was a warm night, and he’d gone shirtless beneath it, exposing every curve of alabaster muscle to her eager eyes. His pants were dark, tight, and black, and he was obviously very aroused within them. 

But it was the sight of his hair that brought her back to that primal passion that had first overtaken her more than anything else. Styles cycled about through the centuries, and for the first time in quite a while, platinum hair was quite popular again. He’d taken instant advantage of the trend, and his hair was white and slicked back just as it had been when she’d first met him. So beautiful…

“Oh yes,” she whispered huskily. She sat up, cradling Dru’s body between her and Willow’s, and rose to meet this vision from her past. “Always miss you, gorgeous,” she purred, wrapping her arms around the back of his neck and leaping up in his arms as she stole a passionate kiss from his lips.

He caught her to him roughly, the bare flesh of his stomach pressed against hers, the soft leather of his vest rubbing erotically against the hardened points of her nipples. His lips were violent, demanding, hungry. His tongue invaded her mouth, conquering her from within, even as he threw her naked body roughly down on the bed beneath him.

She moaned with need, feeling almost as desperate for him as she had that night when he’d first taken her. Her demon screamed _Sire!_ in her ear, and she didn’t fight it, didn’t hold it back. So easy and so delightful to cave into her wilder nature, her hands clawing at his pants, pulling him free, feeling him long and hard between her palms.

With a low growl, he caught her wrists, locked them up above her head with a bruising grip, and rammed his cock so hard and deep inside of her she saw sparks. There was nothing gentle about this mating at all. He plundered her slick passage over and over, stabbing at her core violently.

She screamed and writhed beneath him, clenching her inner muscles around him, and bruising just as good as she got it. She heard him grunt with exertion each time he pulled himself free of her vise grip, and she locked her legs about his waist, trapping him within her clutches.

In a final effort of wild, uneven thrusts, he pounded her womb, releasing her wrists. Instantly, her hands were upon his body, clawing, drawing blood, marking him as _hers_. His forehead pressed against hers, and with one final roar and a thrust, he came, pouring his pleasure into her body.

She fell just behind him, clutching him to her, her lips kissing his throat wildly…

They ended up in a very exhausted tangle in the middle of the bed, both panting unnecessarily at their exertions.

Finally, and with great effort, Spike rolled of off her. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?” he quoted.

She murmured her lazy agreement and snuggled against his body.

“Pretty, pretty babies,” Dru cooed, moving for the first time and sidling up against Spike’s other side. With one hand, she reached out for Willow to rest beside her.

The redheaded vampiress watched them all with interest – and more than a little bit of lust – before finally joining them. “Should have family reunions more often,” she commented with an enigmatic little smile.

Spike mumbled his agreement against Buffy’s throat. “Someone takin’ care of Red?” he asked sleepy, somewhat concerned that one of his girls hadn’t gotten off yet.

“I’ve got everything I need right here,” Willow insisted. Her hand stroked lazily across Dru’s thigh to Spike’s and finally to Buffy’s, before moving back. “More treasures in this world than pretty bodies…”

“Too true.” Drusilla caught Willow’s hand and guided it to her breast.

Willow hummed with satisfaction. “Mommy’s always been too good to me.”

“Anything for my green-eyed pixie,” Dru agreed with a giggle.

Willow leaned over, curtaining Dru with her shoulder-length crimson hair, and kissed her softly. “And such a rare prize I require of you…”

Dru smiled knowingly.

Buffy just nuzzled against Spike in wonderful contentment. In the back of her mind, she knew that a Willow plan couldn’t lead to any good. But right then she was too happy to care. Oh yes, it had _definitely_ been too long…

“Right, then.” With herculean effort, Spike finally arose once more. Wicked blue eyes fixed upon Willow, and she let out a little squeak of alarm before he tackled her down to the bed beneath him, covering her with his body and filling her with his cock. “Never leave a lady unsatisfied,” he whispered against her with almost a Williamish tint to his accent.

“Such a good boy,” Dru cooed in agreement, watching the two bodies thrust together rhythmically.

Buffy scootched over slightly, pillowing her head on Dru’s shoulder and let sleep overtake her. She was weary from the journey, after all. And she had all the time in the world to figure out why they were all here. Tomorrow…


	2. Chapter 2

“Not that ‘m complaining,” Spike commented the following evening after waking rather happily to his little impromptu harem, “but any chance you’re gonna tell us why you planned this li’l reunion, luv?” His question was directed at Dru, but his eyes never left Willow as he spoke.

And, indeed, it was Willow who answered. “I’m the one who asked for mommy’s help.” She rolled over onto her side to face Spike. “Blame me.”

“Do tell.” Spike’s voice was closed, calculating.

Beside him, Buffy stirred, wrapping one arm affectionately about his waist as she spooned against his back. “Getting lonely out in this hellhole?” she guessed.

Willow’s lips quirked into an insincere smile. “Hellhole. That’s one way to put it…”

Dru giggled and pulled Willow down into her arms. “Our little pixie needs our help,” she purred in agreement, smiling against crimson hair. “And we always care for our own, don’t we, Spike?”

He grunted his agreement, although Buffy suspected that he didn’t feel as strongly that Willow was one of ‘their own’ as Dru did. But now that Dru had decided to help, he wouldn’t protest. And neither would she, actually.

“So, to what do we owe the pleasure of this invitation?” Buffy inquired curiously, nibbling at Spike’s shoulder lightly.

Willow’s eyes burned with a dark passion that was so intense it scared Buffy. A deep, wicked magic lurked in those eyes, and Buffy promptly remembered why Willow made her so nervous. Her power was no greater than Buffy’s, true. But it was an alien power, so different that Buffy could barely comprehend it. And she worried that, if faced head to head with that power, she’d fail if only because she didn’t know how to work against magic.

Fortunately, none of Willow’s hostility was directed at them. “I want to be free,” she whispered in a low voice, as if she were speaking a forbidden secret. “I want to do what no other demon has done. I want to end it all…”

Buffy gulped.

Spike’s eyes narrowed. “You want our help to open the bloody Hellmouth?” he asked in disbelief.

“No cupie.” Dru shook her head sadly.

Willow smiled wryly. “No,” she explained. “I want to _close_ the damn thing.”

Buffy and Spike just looked at her in stunned silence.

“You can’t imagine what it’s like,” Willow raved, jumping suddenly to her feet and pacing the room, still completely nude. “You’ve had centuries to explore the world, see everything, do everything…” She sighed wistfully. “And all this time, I’ve been trapped here, babysitting this annoying barrier between worlds, stuck in an endless rut.”

Buffy ventured to speak. “I thought you _wanted_ to watch the Hellmouth,” she pointed out. “For all the power it got you with the Order of Aurelius.”

Willow waved her objections off. “Once, yes,” she agreed testily. “The folly of youth. I wanted power and fast, and I got it. But an eternity trapped in Sunnydale…” She shuttered. “I need to get out of this place. Now. I can…” She shivered and rubbed at her shoulders.

Drusilla rose slowly and led Willow back to bed, situating the redhead between herself and Spike. “We’ll free you, my pretty sprite. Won’t we?” She looked up to Spike in supplication.

Spike frowned, turning to Buffy. The two of them didn’t speak, just exchanged a questioning look and a short kiss.

“The Order won’t like it,” Spike finally commented warily.

“From what I hear,” Willow countered, “you’re not exactly their favorite vamps anyway.”

Buffy couldn’t help but smile at that. Her hand squeezed possessively over Spike’s softened cock. It didn’t stay soft for long.

He snorted. “True…”

“And the way I figure it,” Willow continued, “all the Order wants is to stop the Hellmouth from opening. If I close it permanently, then I’ve done my job in full, completed my stewardship.”

“Of course, then they won’t be able to hold the threat of opening it over the other Orders,” Buffy pointed out.

“A bluff,” Willow insisted. “And one that everyone _knows_ is a bluff by now.”

She was becoming agitated again, and Dru sat up behind her to massage her shoulders gently.

With a deep breath, Willow relaxed. “I’m not afraid of the Order. Frankly, I don’t care _what_ they think anymore. They’re an ocean away. And, if worse comes to worst,” she grinned evilly, “I can always have a bit of fun fighting off their minions…”

Spike grinned at that as well. It was one of his favorite pastimes, after all.

Buffy stuck to more practical matters. “And we’re going to close the Hellmouth _how_ exactly? ‘Cause if it was at all, y’know, feasible, I think we would’ve tried it back when we were still alive.”

“We were children when we were still alive,” Willow brushed that point off. “With the power I have now…”

“Great.” Buffy crossed her arms over her chest defensively. “You’ve got power. Which means you don’t need us.”

Willow’s eyes narrowed at her.

Buffy met her gaze head-on. “I don’t like playing pawn,” she stated matter-of-factly.

“So suspicious,” Willow sighed.

“You’ve had designs on things that weren’t yours in the past,” Buffy pointed out.

Willow laughed and shook her head at that. “Get over it,” she retorted snidely.

Buffy growled, but Spike held her back. “Dru would know if she was lyin’ to us, luv,” he pointed out.

For a moment, Buffy felt the urge to snap. Something about how Dru might not even tell them given how cozy she and Willow seemed. A second later she realized how ridiculous the thought was. “The Hellmouth still plays tricks with our demons,” she whispered softly.

Willow nodded at that. “Can you imagine what it’s been like for almost two _hundred_ years?”

“No,” Buffy conceded, “I can’t.”

“What _do_ you need our help for then, Red?” Spike inquired curiously, disaster averted for the moment.

Willow stared past him as if she were seeing far further than the walls around them. Her eyes darkened to pitch-black, and the room seemed to vibrate with her magic. “There’s a way,” she commented slowly. “A way to end it all…”

“Yeah, I figured that much,” Spike said sarcastically.

She grinned at him and slipped back into the here and now. “An amulet,” she clarified. “The proper application of magic, and I can seal everything up forever.”

“An amulet,” Spike repeated speculatively. “And since we’re not ‘xactly known for our magical prowess, my guess is that for some reason, you need us to pick it up for you.”

Willow tapped the tip of her nose once.

Buffy frowned. “I dread to ask: Where…?”

“There’s a dome to the west. The humans there call it Grendome,” Willow answered.

“A dome?” Buffy groaned. “How the hell did—?”

Willow shrugged. “It was in demonic hands for centuries. I only detected its presence when one of the demons’ human agents took it from an inter-dimensional vault. Wolfram & Hart self-destructed, but the human ran with it.”

“And how, pray tell,” Spike asked curiously, “are we s’posed to get into a dome?”

* * *

Buffy was old enough now to have seen five generations of science fiction writers proven wrong about their visions of the future. Not that most of what they envisioned wasn’t _possible_ , but there was just no stimulus within the human world to achieve some of the wonders thought up in the most idealistic of imaginations. The sad truth of the matter was that people cared more about their own self-interests than they did about creating a utopia. Could there have been colonies on the moon by now? Sure. Did people see _personal benefit_ in doing so? Absolutely not. And so it never happened.

One thing that humans – especially in this harsh environment – valued above all else was safety. They were scared little creatures, really, only dimly aware that despite all their fancy gadgets that they were still prey. And the worse things got, the more they trapped themselves in their own little bubble of denial: _I’m safe. I’m secure. Nothing can hurt me. Not even death._ It had been the same in her lifetime, she realized now, if perhaps a bit less extreme. But the only _real_ difference? This time, the ‘bubbles’ were literal. Domes, the mortals called them.

“Magic is the only solution, of course,” Willow commented, biting her lower lip in a strangely human gesture, her short crimson hair tied back from her face in a sloppy ponytail. “But it’s still…complicated.” She sighed. “The way I figure it, I need at least one caster to put a blinding spell on the security sensors, and then I’ll have to create a hole in the dome bubble to send our people through.”

Buffy murmured something slightly disapproving. She’d learned a healthy distaste for all things magical from Spike. Although her own experiences with magic had been blessedly limited, she knew he’d been burned badly on more than one occasion, and it really wasn’t fair. That wasn’t the sort of power you could fight against or develop defenses against. You either had the ability to use magic, or you didn’t. And those that did have the ability often had the tendency to put her on edge…

Willow turned to look at her. “If you have any better ideas…” she retorted wryly.

Buffy just shrugged, focusing intently on the display before them.

“It’s just a tool,” Willow murmured under her breath. “And since I’m not planning on using it against you…”

“Just, where is this amulet or whatever?” Buffy demanded, feeling uneasy with the subject at hand. Because suddenly in the back of her mind, she was all too sure Willow _had_ tried to use magic against her. It was just the sort of thing Willow would do. Any means necessary to get what she wanted. Luckily, her attempts must not have worked…

Willow raised one eyebrow at Buffy’s obvious nervousness but didn’t press the point. “That,” she sighed, “you’ll have to figure out for yourself once you’re inside.”

“This plan is sounding better and better all the time…”

Willow smirked. “I have a few more tricks up my sleeve,” she offered enigmatically.

“ _That’s_ what I’m worried about,” Buffy countered triumphantly.

Willow laughed a delighted, amused, slightly deranged laugh. “Would you like me to play my games with you?” she asked coyly. One hand came up to brush a blonde lock back behind Buffy’s ear, and she took the opportunity to whisper softly against the other vampiress’ flesh. “Shall I offer you your wildest dreams?”

Buffy shivered unnecessarily at the cold breath against her flesh.

“You know what they’re doing right now, don’t you?” the redhead continued to purr seductively. She gestured to the bedroom to which Spike and Dru had retired. “Haven’t you ever wondered?”

Buffy sighed wearily.

“Not once in all these years?” Willow persisted, and her voice dropped to a low growl. “Just what _does_ it mean to have a mate? What is it that they experience together that you will never know? I do. I felt it once. But you… You are still so pure in your way…”

“Dru and Spike share things that I don’t,” Buffy agreed flatly. “With _either_ of them. Just like Spike and I share things that Dru will never be a part of, and Dru and I share things that Spike will never know. That’s how it works. And I’m happy with both of them – _either_ of them – whatever the other circumstances may be.”

“Little girl’s grown wise over the years,” Willow commented wistfully, pulling back.

“I would have to to still be standing here.” Buffy offered her an amused smile. “Nice try, though.”

Willow laughed at that. “Oh, you would have been quite the prize…”

“If only I weren’t spoken for by another,” Buffy retorted wryly. “Now, back on track?”

Willow shook her head and returned to the table before her. Upon it lay pure, crystalline white sand. And, as Buffy watched, Willow blew upon the fine grains, causing them to swirl and twist in eddies until suddenly Buffy realized that there was a light shinning from within them. A pale white glow that took form, sculpting the sand into a three-dimensional image of their place of attack, a sculpture more perfect than any sandcastle could ever be.

“This,” Willow announced, all business once more, “is how we’re going to do it…”

* * *

“My sweet,” Drusilla cooed softly, running long nails through his hair, “so far from me…”

“Don’t think I can get much closer than this, pet,” Spike countered. 

His tongue had been lapping at the two small streams of red blood that flowed from the bite marks in her shoulder, but he looked up at her when he spoke, his eyes dark with passion. To emphasize his point, he shifted his hips, plunging deeper, driving his cock so far inside that she hissed and clutched at his shoulders, her nails leaving long red furrows in their wake.

“My William, my Spike…” Blunt teeth sunk into the side of his throat but didn’t pierce the skin. The nails that had cut him only minutes before now glided erotically across the flesh of his back. Caressing.

It was unusually gentle for Dru.

“Luv?” His lips turned from her shoulder to her cheek in an entreating kiss.

“Shh…” she whispered softly, her eyes dark. “Just make love to me.”

“Always.” With a sudden surge of energy, he rolled her body beneath his, feeling a sudden desperation to touch all of her, inside and out. “Always with you. Always love you…”

She caught his face between her palms and pulled him in for a sweet kiss. Almost tender and innocent, while the movements of their bodies were anything but. He felt himself drowning in the heady taste of her lips, the skill of her tongue, and he let himself sink into her in every way, surrendering his entire being to his lover.

She shuddered beneath him, letting the flow and cadence of his thoughts pass through her, feeling him brush against her mind, and…  
   
   
   
 

Afterward, as they lay together, limbs tangled in lazy bliss, Drusilla made her confession.

“You go without me, my pet, into that den of wires and machines…”

Spike frowned, rudely awakened from his lazy contemplation of what they’d just shared. “What’s that, luv?”

“Mommy mustn’t touch the silver dome, or she’ll shatter to glass.”

“Dru, you’re not makin’ any sense here,” he said a bit harshly. But, for some reason, her words disturbed him.

“Our red pixie needs another to watch over you,” she replied matter-of-factly.

“In _English_?” His patience was frayed, and he didn’t even know why.

She sighed. “It’ll take two spell-casters to get you in,” she explained dryly. “I’m more than able to do my part.”

“’m sure Red’s got some apprentice or other lurking about for—”

Her fingertip pressed against his lips. “This is my place.”

“Your _place_ ,” he retorted, “is with me and Buffy. Or is she ditchin’ me, too?”

A wan smile darkened Dru’s face. “My boy would be so happy with her…”

“Dru!”

She laughed. “So impatient, my childe.” She caught him in her arms and rested his head against her breasts, kissing the soft white locks of his hair. “The darkness is rising, and my doom would be at your side.”

“You’ve had a vision?” he asked softly, letting her hold him, cradle him against her like a baby.

“I’ve felt it in my bones since the blood first flowed through my veins,” she retorted. “Can you not just let the stars be for a time?”

“’ll fight them tooth and nail ‘til the end of the world, if that’s what it takes,” he retorted.

“I would not love you so if you did anything less…” Her tone was wistful again now, and it concerned him.

“Dru…?”

“Hush. Our time together grows short. And a vast vision of the spirit of the world troubles my sight…”

“We’ve got forever, luv,” he reminded her. “’Til the end of time.”

“’Til the end of days…”

“Not the same thing, pet,” he pointed out.

“Oh William,” she laughed. “Must we quarrel?”

He shrugged. “S’pose not. Can think of better things to do with our time…” He leered at her.

She squealed when he yanked her down on top of him, sounding decidedly girlish. It wasn’t a word he usually associated with his mate, but he could see that part of her now as she opened herself to him. Not for the first time the thought came to him, _If only I’d been born twenty years earlier. We could’ve been perfect together, whole and undamaged, two innocents marveling at the world…_ He forced the thoughts to a sudden halt, however. It was never good to get too preoccupied with those things, imagining children they would have had, lives they would’ve led. For that matter, he buried down visions of little rakes with his cheekbones and Buffy’s green eyes back down into the bowels of his subconscious as well.

“Share this night with me,” Dru whispered softly, bringing him back to all that he had. “Be my love for this moment.”

“This, and many more to come,” he insisted.

And she didn’t protest, just clutched him to her body tightly.

* * *

The sands of the desert swirled about them as they stepped from the transport. “As far as we’ll take you,” Willow’s minion warned them before returning to the vehicle. Buffy and Spike watched it go in a cloud of dust.

On the horizon to the west loomed a dark shape. Perfectly hemispherical, it rose high into the sky, taller than any skyscraper that had existed in Buffy’s day, sparkling with thousands of lights within like one of those old snow-globes that had just been shaken up. The culmination of the technology of this land, so to speak. A dome: secure, impassible, and forbidden to their kind. Although not any longer if their plan tonight worked.

The two vampires shared a look, and Spike’s hand reached out to wrap around Buffy’s. Something about Dru’s words had put him ill at ease, and he craved the touch of his childe like never before. They stood like that for a moment and felt the magical energy crackle around them, heard Willow’s voice within their minds:

“Go.”

And so, they went.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic was abandoned in 2004. Reasons for the abandonment are [here](http://kantayra.livejournal.com/283920.html). An outline of what the final chapters would have looked like is [here](http://kantayra.livejournal.com/283179.html).


End file.
